No: Supporting A City Government Is Too Expensive

Opinion - My Word - At issue: Should DeBary become a city?

The referendum on incorporation and the proposed city charter is on Sept. 7. Please consider the following information obtained from county officials and state government offices.

Let us put the scare tactic of annexation by Orange City to rest. You cannot be annexed by Orange City in whole or bit by bit without your approval. Florida Statutes Chapter 171 is written to protect citizens against such intrusion.

In order for DeBary to share any state revenues, it must have a combination of taxes and fees totaling 3 mills. Proponents of incorporation have not said how they will do that.

On Aug. 8, Don Smith, spokesperson for the committee favoring incorporation, said on a local TV program that DeBary would receive $500,000 in state money by July 1994. This is a gross misstatement. Our committee, DeBary Citizens Against Incorporation, has been told by the state Department of Revenue and Volusia County Finance Department this is not so.

Currently, Florida Power Corp. and Florida Power and Light Co. are in litigation with the county over tax assessments. If DeBary should incorporate, how will these court cases affect the revenues necessary to DeBary to run the proposed city council?

Each January, property owners are reassessed. Is it possible DeBary would face a similar problem should it incorporate?

Contracted services: The feasibility study is only an estimate on services from Volusia County, not a legally binding contract. No one can predict the exact cost of these items nor what terms or conditions will be in those proposed contracts.

Public works: We have been told we cannot continually contract with the county for these services and must have a public works department by the third year. This has been projected three different times from $1 million to $2 million over the current level of service. Which of the three projections is correct? Read the feasibility study. The higher figures are in it.

Planning and zoning: We have been told we must begin this department immediately. There is a projected cost of $237,900 in the study. We also were informed that no other cost estimates can be given at this time. When will we know? No provision has been made for office space.

Administration charges for contracted county services: No cost estimates have been given for the amount to be paid by DeBary residents.

Election costs: If DeBary incorporates, the supervisor of elections estimates the cost of each election at $5,000.

These are some of the costs you need to consider at no additional levels of service in the near future.

Here are more costs that will have to be considered soon:

City Hall: Purchase or renovation of existing DeBary facility, $150,000 to $200,000.

Fire Department: The $250,000 budgeted by the county has been eliminated. Fire Department personnel said $250,000 was not adequate for a firehouse.

The list goes on and on. You currently enjoy one of the lowest tax rates in the county. You also must remember the following services will still have to be paid to Volusia County out of your tax dollars: general fund, library fund, endangered land, West Volusia Hospital District, Fire District 3, Volusia County School District, St. Johns River Water Management District, Florida Inland Navigation and West Volusia Hospital Authority.

Because DeBary has such a small population and commercial-industrial tax base, are you willing to pay for every level of government to support the large expenses needed to run a city government? Every level of government has its own cost.

It has been promised that taxes will go down. Please read the feasibility study and its addendum, as well as the charter, and decide for yourself if you agree with this promise.

Your vote on Sept. 7 will affect you personally. Get as much information as possible for an informed choice.